Teacher evaluator’s experience stirs debate

Published: Monday, October 8, 2012 at 6:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Monday, October 8, 2012 at 11:24 p.m.

Many teachers statewide, including some locally, have complained about Molly Horstman, an official in the state office that is implementing the COMPASS system of teacher evaluations.

The complaints stem from a story in the The Advocate in Baton Rouge pointing out that Horstman, who taught for two years in the Recovery School District in New Orleans, doesn’t have an active teaching certificate. Starting in 2009, Horstman has held various administrative jobs in the Recovery School District and state offices and hasn’t renewed her certificate, which classroom teachers are required to do every few years.

Horstman’s title is COMPASS director, which has led many to believe she is the top official running the program. That’s caused a stir among teachers, who have said it’s not fair for someone without years of experience and with no active teaching certificate to run a program judging the performance of those who have that experience and credentials.

But State Education Superintendent John White said Horstman isn’t in charge of the evaluation system.

“She is not the director.” White said. “She’s on the director level, but that’s different.”

Because implementing the new evaluations is such a huge task — it covers more than 50,000 educators — White said there’s a sizable support system of administrative staff involved. Assistant Superintendent of Talent Hana Dietsch oversees the entire effort.

Horstman, he said, is working on the data and number-crunching side of the operation.

“She is not involved in going into the classroom at all,” White said. “She is working on the data side of things.”

COMPASS judges a teacher’s performance based on how much the person improves students’ test scores and how well principals judge their performance during observations. How much a teacher is expected to raise students’ test scores depends on a complex statistical formula that accounts for factors such as a student’s income level, family situation, attendance and previous grades.

White said Horstman is working to make sure those formulas are working right, not judging a teacher’s methods.

Lottie Beebe, the member of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education who represents Houma-Thibodaux, said she still worries state education officials aren’t paying enough attention to administrators’ level of experience and credentials.

“I have no problem with Molly, personally. She’s a wonderful person,” Beebe said. “But, honestly, we have some people who have been teachers longer than Molly has been alive.”

Beebe said she has heard complaints from teachers that sweeping changes are being handed down to them by people with less experience than them.

“There’s a credibility issue,” Beebe said. “If you haven’t walked in my shoes for 28 years, do you think I’m going to listen to what you have to say?”

White argues that the COMPASS team includes lots of staffers, including many with decades of experience in Louisiana schools and impressive credentials. Dietsch, he points out, has master’s degrees in teaching from Johns Hopkins University and Harvard.

White said the state also has “network teams” of veteran superintendents and teachers who are responsible for school visits and helping fine-tune the process of teacher observations. That includes the heads of school systems with the highest standardized test scores and best district performance scores in the state.

“The people who are going to be going into our schools are the state’s most seasoned and experienced educators and most successful teachers,” White said. “This is a huge team effort, and everybody has a different role.”

Staff Writer Matthew Albright can be reached at 448-7635 or at matthew.albright@dailycomet.com.

<p>Many teachers statewide, including some locally, have complained about Molly Horstman, an official in the state office that is implementing the COMPASS system of teacher evaluations. </p><p>The complaints stem from a story in the The Advocate in Baton Rouge pointing out that Horstman, who taught for two years in the Recovery School District in New Orleans, doesn't have an active teaching certificate. Starting in 2009, Horstman has held various administrative jobs in the Recovery School District and state offices and hasn't renewed her certificate, which classroom teachers are required to do every few years.</p><p>Horstman's title is COMPASS director, which has led many to believe she is the top official running the program. That's caused a stir among teachers, who have said it's not fair for someone without years of experience and with no active teaching certificate to run a program judging the performance of those who have that experience and credentials.</p><p>But State Education Superintendent John White said Horstman isn't in charge of the evaluation system.</p><p>“She is not the director.” White said. “She's on the director level, but that's different.”</p><p>Because implementing the new evaluations is such a huge task — it covers more than 50,000 educators — White said there's a sizable support system of administrative staff involved. Assistant Superintendent of Talent Hana Dietsch oversees the entire effort.</p><p>Horstman, he said, is working on the data and number-crunching side of the operation.</p><p>“She is not involved in going into the classroom at all,” White said. “She is working on the data side of things.” </p><p>COMPASS judges a teacher's performance based on how much the person improves students' test scores and how well principals judge their performance during observations. How much a teacher is expected to raise students' test scores depends on a complex statistical formula that accounts for factors such as a student's income level, family situation, attendance and previous grades.</p><p>White said Horstman is working to make sure those formulas are working right, not judging a teacher's methods.</p><p>Lottie Beebe, the member of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education who represents Houma-Thibodaux, said she still worries state education officials aren't paying enough attention to administrators' level of experience and credentials.</p><p>“I have no problem with Molly, personally. She's a wonderful person,” Beebe said. “But, honestly, we have some people who have been teachers longer than Molly has been alive.” </p><p>Beebe said she has heard complaints from teachers that sweeping changes are being handed down to them by people with less experience than them.</p><p>“There's a credibility issue,” Beebe said. “If you haven't walked in my shoes for 28 years, do you think I'm going to listen to what you have to say?”</p><p>White argues that the COMPASS team includes lots of staffers, including many with decades of experience in Louisiana schools and impressive credentials. Dietsch, he points out, has master's degrees in teaching from Johns Hopkins University and Harvard.</p><p>White said the state also has “network teams” of veteran superintendents and teachers who are responsible for school visits and helping fine-tune the process of teacher observations. That includes the heads of school systems with the highest standardized test scores and best district performance scores in the state.</p><p>“The people who are going to be going into our schools are the state's most seasoned and experienced educators and most successful teachers,” White said. “This is a huge team effort, and everybody has a different role.”</p><p>Staff Writer Matthew Albright can be reached at 448-7635 or at matthew.albright@dailycomet.com.</p>